Sensex ends above 48,000 for first time

Mumbai, January 4

Rising for the ninth straight session, the Sensex closed above the 48,000-mark for the first time on Monday as investor sentiment got a boost after government approved two coronavirus vaccines over the weekend.

The Sensex ended 307.82 points higher at 48,176.80. It touched a record intra-day peak of 48,220.47.

The Nifty jumped 114.40 points to its fresh lifetime high of 14,132.90. It scaled an all-time high of 14,147.95 during the session.

ONGC was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, spurting 4.02%, followed by TCS, HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, M&M, HUL, Sun Pharma and L&T.

On the other hand, Kotak Bank, Bajaj Finance, Asian Paints, HDFC Bank, PowerGrid and Titan were among the laggards, shedding up to 1.43%.

India’s drugs regulator on Sunday approved Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine Covishield and indigenously-developed Covaxin of Bharat Biotech for restricted emergency use in the country. — PTI

Both benchmarks at lifetime high

• A strengthening rupee, positive global cues and encouraging macroeconomic data gave further impetus to risk appetite, traders said
• The Sensex ended 307.82 points higher at 48,176.80. It touched a record intra-day peak of 48,220.47
• The Nifty jumped 114.40 points to its fresh lifetime high of 14,132.90. It scaled an all-time high of 14,147.95 during the session